Jury awards one-quarter of damages sought by plaintiffs in automobile injury trial

Michael Choate failed to yield the right away and struck Carl Skiles and Alicia Weaver, inflicting the pair with around $70,000 worth of physical pain and mental anguish.

The automobile personal injury trial of Skiles and Weaver vs. Choate began in Judge Milton Shuffield's 136th District Court on Monday and ended May 22. The plaintiffs' attorney, John Morgan, had asked jurors to award $200,000 in damages.

The jury awarded Skiles $10,000 for physical pain and mental anguish sustained in the past, $1,500 for future pain and mental anguish, $3,000 for past physical impairment, $19,190.57 for medical costs, $500 for disfigurement and $1,000 for property damages. Skiles' total award came to $35,190.

The jury awarded Weaver $5,000 for physical pain and mental anguish sustained in the past, $500 for future pain and mental anguish, $2,000 for past physical impairment, $5,337.26 for medical costs, $1,000 for disfigurement, $1,000 for property damages and $1,140 for lost wages. Weaver's total award came to $15,977.

Combined, the jury awarded $51,167 to the plaintiffs, just over a quarter of what the plaintiffs asked for.

According to the plaintiffs' original petition, Choate failed to yield the right away on Sept. 3, 2005 and struck the plaintiff's vehicle.

The suit also faulted the defendant with negligently failing to maintain a proper lookout and apply his brakes in time.